(Halifax, NS) – It was not meant to be for the StFX X-Men this year as they fell 82-71 to the Acadia Axemen in the Subway AUS championship game. Tournament MVP Anthony Sears scored 14 points as the Axemen jumped out to an early first quarter lead and never looked back.
The opening minutes of the game were tentative as Acadia held an early 7-4 lead after three minutes of play. Then the Axemen began to light it up from the three-point line. First Anthony Ashe sunk one, followed by three-point buckets from Anthony Sears, Jonathan Tull, and another by Ashe. When the opening 10 minutes had expired, the Axemen had sunk six baskets from three-point range and held a 26-10 lead.
That early lead would prove to set the tone of the game as Acadia would not relinquish their lead for the remainder of play. The Axemen added to the lead in the second quarter as they played strong defensively and the X-Men in turn struggled to make baskets. The Axemen held a 22 point advantage with just under seven minutes to play in the opening half, closing out the half with a 45-29 half-time lead.
The X-Men shot a dismal 26.7% from field goal range in the opening forty minutes and were 0-7 from three point range. Acadia shot 62.5% as Sears scored 12 points and Tull and Ashe each scored nine.
StFX tried to re-group after the intermission break and find a way to get back into the game for the second half. Jordan Clarke played well to start the third frame for StFX, trying to provide a spark but it was difficult to cut into to 15-18 point edge established by Acadia. The X-Men did manage to get the lead down to 11 but Acadia quickly got it back up to 16 with just under two minutes to play.
The third quarter closed out with Acadia up 62-48 over the top seeded X-Men.
The fourth quarter saw the X-Men cause some excitement and bring the blue and white fans back to life for the first time in the game since the opening quarter as they went on an 8-2 run to cut the Axemen lead to six points in the opening three minutes.
The X-Men flirted with that six point deficit but were unable to cash in on key opportunities to close the gap any further. Acadia continued with their game plan and played consistent basketball, taking advantage of their chances and increasing the lead back up to nine points late in the game. The final score closed out at 82-71 for the Axemen who took home the championship banner.
Owen Klassen led Acadia with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Sears finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jonathan Tull scored 13 points and had five rebounds, with Subway Player of the Game Anthony Ashe contributing 11 points (including three form three-point range), eight assists and two steals.
Replying for the X-Men was Jeremy Dunn who had a double-double game with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Terry Thomas netted 19 points and had seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. Marquis Clayton and Jordan Clarke each scored nine points for StFX who were shutout 0-15 from three point range.
The X-Men shot 33.3% in field goals and 86.2% from the free throw line, while the Axemen were 49.1% from field goal range and 82.6% in free throw shooting.
Tull and Ashe were named to the AUS tournament all-star team for Acadia, as were Thomas and Dunn for the X-Men. Saint Mary’s Huskies’ Brian Rouse rounded out the tourney all-star team and Axemen Anthony Sears took home tournament MVP honors.
Both Acadia and StFX advance to the CIS Final eight national championship taking place next weekend, March 9-11 at the Halifax Metro Centre. The seedings and schedule for the championship will be announced later this evening.